Ho'omaka hou 'ana (New Beginnings)
by Miryang
Summary: He said they had to go undercover, to take all risks and chances, not to avoid any single detail due to precaution, to solve this case under the radar, to never let their guard down, and to always focus on the subject beforehand, never to stray. He also said to make everything - everything- realistic as possible. They just didn't know how far realistic could get. (StevexOC)
1. Introductions

My first Hawaii Five-0 fan-fiction (Yay! o3o). In this story, Catherine was never a character in the first place. She never met Steve or the Five-0 team. **I am not a Catherine hater**, she's just not in the story for reasons.

Lori is _not _in this story.

**Disclaimer:** I, Merdinae, sadly do _not _own Hawaii Five-0 no matter how much I wish I did.

* * *

**Ho'omaka hou 'ana**

**(New Beginnings)**

* * *

**Introductions**

Steven J. McGarrett didn't take shit from _anybody_. _Especially_ from the Governor.

First, he assigned Agent Weston to his team to "babysit". Now, he was waiting in the Governor's office for briefing on some "special mission" his taskforce was assigned to. He twiddled his fingers impatiently and stared at the clock behind the Governor's desk.

2:51 PM.

He took a deep breath and decided to call his teammate and best friend, Danny Williams. His call, however, was cut short when the door banged open to reveal a stunning brunette. Even more stunning than the day he first met Lori Weston.

She was dressed in a carefree, casual way donning only a thin, skimpy shirt that read "Yellow Submarine – The Beatles" with a navy blue bikini showing through the thin material and holy crap – she had _boobs _that she wasn't afraid to show. This woman was not modest, and she was definitely not a prude. He moved his eyes from her prominent chest to her legs. She wore _very _short shorts. So short that he could see her thighs so clearly they were imprinted in his mind. He blinked twice to get the image out of his mind.

She had a pair of navy blue peep-toe heels and out peeped some dark purple polished toes. Steve snorted at that in amusement. From his downward vision, he moved them upward to be greeted by an angelic looking face.

A lovely heart shaped face with full lips and a cute nose with a head full of lovely dark brown wavy curls with hints and promises of brown highlights that Steve saw when the sun hit her hair in the right places, and this was all put together with deep chocolate brown eyes that had a cold look to it but suddenly turned warm and soft when she saw Steve.

"Hello, I'm Noelle Thorne. The Governor sent me in here to meet you, but I have no idea when the fuck he's coming. The little bastard." Noelle blew out hot and cold as she spoke a greeting to Steve. He put his hand out but Noelle looked at it disdainfully and sat right next to him.

A pinging noise rang in the air and both Steve and Noelle checked their phones.

The same message appeared on both their phones.

_The Governor will be meeting you shortly. Please relax and have some refreshments found in the hall. Thank you._

Steve checked the clock again.

3:18 PM.

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Read and review! :D

This is my first fan fic that I have decided to take up SERIOUSLY so **NO FLAMES**, please!

May the cookies be with you.


	2. Goro Yamamoto

**Disclaimer:** I don't own H50.

* * *

**Goro Yamamoto**

It had been two hours. Two long excruciating hours. Steve had done everything he could think of to entertain himself. Even doing what Steve had never thought he would've done in many, many years.

Steve was _sewing_.

In fact, Steve was sewing a _pink _sweater.

Although he had never revealed this fact to anyone besides his close companions and teammates, he had learned the art of sewing when he was an active duty Navy SEAL. He was a bit afraid to show this skill to the bold woman sitting a few feet across him, but boredom took control of his actions and he began to sew despite his original intentions.

How he acquired the pink yarn and sewing needles, he didn't know. He assumed that in his boredom, he had simply called the front desk for some items and they had brought them to him. Except for one problem - he remembered clearly Noelle snooping around the unlocked drawers of the Governor's desk and pulling out a pair of sewing needles and a ball of yarn. _White _yarn. Not _pink _yarn.

As he peeked through the corner of his eye, he could see a slightly amused Noelle beneath the facade of a stony cold person.

Steve looked at the clock again.

Another hour had passed. That totaled to three hours now.

6:51 PM.

* * *

Another two hours had passed, and it was now nighttime. His phone had been flooded with unread texts and unheard voicemails from his teammates.

This time, Steve was trying to get some shuteye instead of sewing. He had finished his pink sweater - which, to Noelle's amusement, had turned out to only fit a very small Chihuahua. Or, in this case, Chihuahua model as there were no dogs running loose in Governor Denning's office. Only still, cold figurines of the Governor's favorite dog breed.

Noelle apparently didn't want Steve to rest. She kept on prodding him insistently with an extended finger.

_Poke, poke, poke..._

Steve was about ready to grab Noelle's finger and break it in half until the doors opened to reveal a tired and stressed Governor Denning.

"Hello, Governor," Noelle said politely. She beamed a pearly white smile towards the Governor who promptly shook hands with her. Steve was appalled by her new attitude change. Apparently Noelle was into the role of being devious and blowing hot and cold emotions at people. Hell, either that or she just had an attitude disorder. Honestly, Steve didn't really care at the moment.

"Hello, Ms. Thorne," Governor Denning shared the false sense of politeness towards Noelle and it was received on both ends. Noelle gave the Governor a cold, hard look before he finally broke the staring battle and turned towards Steve.

"Hello, Steven," the Governor did not offer a hand towards Steve like he did to Noelle. Of course. The Governor _hated _Steve. Steve just stared at the man.

"So. Why are we here?"

"Well, Mr. McGarrett, if you will take a seat everything will be explained. You too, Ms. Thorne."

Noelle let out a sigh and plopped down next to Steve. "You said you'd explain." Noelle gave a pointed stare. "Explain."

Governor Denning took a deep breath. "Before I explain, I do not want anyone to have biased opinions."

The Governor gave a pointed stare at Steve.

"The Yakuza are involved in this. I understand that Adam Noshimuri is trying his hardest to legitimatize the Yakuza, but there have been whispers that someone inside the Yakuza is opposing Mr. Noshimuri's plans. This certain someone was an important confidante of Hiro Noshimuri's. His name is Goro Yamamoto. He plans on bringing some of Hiro's strongest supporters and making Michael Noshimuri, Adam's older brother, the leader of the Yakuza instead."

"So what do I have to do with this? I know I'm one of Kono's friends and her boss but couldn't you have picked someone else for the job? Someone else better suited?"

"Yes, Mr. McGarrett, I could've. But I didn't. You see, you are the only person I find suitable for this job. You know the Yakuza, your own friend, Joe White, kidnapped Hiro Noshimuri by gunpoint, and you found where Hiro was murdered. In Wo Fat's Tokyo penthouse. Do you see why I picked you?" The Governor shot a fiery response at the adamant 36 year old man in front of him. Steve didn't respond to the Governor.

"Ahem..." came a voice no one had heard for quite a while. The Governor jumped up in his seat and turned his head around to Noelle.

"Urm...yes, Ms. Thorne?" Governor Denning was still experiencing the effects of surprise.

"Why am _I _here? You've got Five-0, you don't need me. You definitely _don't _need me, you definitely don't _want _me."

"Ms. Thorne, you are a valuable asset. I was told the arts of seduction was one of your many talents."

Noelle let out a small smile, the first _true _smile Steve had seen in the seven hours they were waiting.

"Well," Noelle said slowly, "I do suppose I could help. What do we have to do?"

"All _you _have to do, Ms. Thorne, is help get into the inner circle of Goro Yamamoto's opposition group and _bring them down_."

The Governor, however, turned from a calm and patient man to a now suddenly furious martinet.

"I don't care how you do this operation, but I do care about these things. You're going undercover and I expect you to take _all risks and chances_. If you avoid any single detail due to _anyone's _cautious self, this operation is going _down_. You also will solve this case under the radar and make sure you don't let your guard down, _Thorne_. _McGarrett_. Make sure you _both_-" The Governor took a pause to lightly slap the back of their heads before continuing without taking a breath, "don't let your guard down. _Ever_. _Focus_, do you hear me? _Focus_. You stray, you're going to the _doghouse_. Literally. You got made? _Improvise_. As best as possible. And make _everything_, I mean _everything_, realistic as possible. The more realistic, the more Goro Yamamoto will allow you access into his group."

The Governor took a deep breath and let it out, staring at Steve and Noelle evenly.

"I will arrange lodging for you at the Hilton. Goro Yamamoto is looking for deep pockets to fund and support his cause. The deeper your pockets, the better your position is. My assistant will send any other information to your team, Mr. McGarrett. Clear as day?"

Noelle stared at the Governor before sitting straight up. "I don't know why you're making me do this, but I will _kill _whoever told you that I'm a 'great seductress'. I won't seduce no old man, and I definitely am not going to be seduced by this plan."

Noelle stared at Steve and the Governor once more before walking out the door, and slamming it shut.

Steve was confused. Did she refuse the operation? He was about to ask the Governor when his assistant walked in, her iPad pinging with information.

"Ms. Thorne just accepted the reservations for the Hilton Hotel. Do you want me to send her alias to Ms. Kalakaua?" The Governor nodded.

Steve slowly got out of his seat and stared at the Governor in confusion. "I don't know what that was about, but I'm in. I'll help take down Goro Yamamoto."

"Good." The Governor said hotly. "Now _get out_."

* * *

Thank you to **Gone2Far **for a first review! :D

So c'mon, people! Read and review (just no flames)!

Kudos to you if you do..

Until the next update!

**Merdinae-**


	3. A Little White Lie Never Hurts

**Disclaimer: **I don't own H50, but I do own Noelle Thorne and the story.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a _looong _time! D:  
_Disturbia _and _Dearly Beloved _have gotten to me. If you haven't read them, **READ THEM**!

Although fairly short (shorter than the second chapter), this update should please fans. Riiight? :3

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**A Little White Lie Never Hurts**

Steve knew a shady person when he saw one, and Noelle was very shady. She had an aura of a cold, demeaning, and demanding bitch and blew cute seductress as the same time. It rang "personality disorder" to him and he didn't like it. Steve had pressed for information on the brunette but received none so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He dialed a number and it was answered on the first ring.

"Danny Williams."

"Hey, Danny, are you still at headquarters?"

A pause and out came an annoyed drawl, clearly suggesting someone repressing a rant. "Yeah. Why?"

"I need you to run a background check on someone," Steve sighed. Danny could be so high maintenance.

"Babe, I'd _love_ to do that for you, but you gotta explain this one thing." He winced and prepared his ears for a ranting round from Danny Williams. Shockingly, he received none. Just a quick and fiery sentence.

"_Why the hell were you gone for the whole entire day?!_"

"I was with the Governor. Something about an undercover operation, the Yakuza, and Goro Yamamoto," Steve explained shortly.

"Okay, okay...what? Yakuza and Goro? Who the hell is 'Goro'?"

"Just do the background check for me, will ya?" he groaned in exasperation.

"Fine, fine, fine. What's the name?" He could hear the noises of the touch screen come to life as Danny turned it on.

"Noelle Thorne. That's 'Noelle' with two l's and an extra e. And 'Thorne' with an e at the end."

"So Noelle Thorne. N-O-E-L-L-E T-H-O-R-N-E?" Danny spelled the name out slowly as he typed on the touch screen.

"Yep," Steve braced himself for the response. If this 'Noelle Thorne' turned out to have relations with Middle Eastern terrorists and had a Wanted List as long as California and Texas combined, he was going have a shit fit in the governor's office.

A loud beeping noise and an ominous 'uh-oh' was heard.

"What? What's wrong!?"

"You want the good or the bad part first?" Danny's voice was strangely hesitant and fearful.

"The good part first."

Danny told Steve Noelle's personal information. The Navy SEAL wrote the information down on a piece of paper.

"What's the bad part?" he asked hesitantly.

"She's an ex-Federal Agent."

Steve nearly dropped his phone. He was being placed with a ex-Federal Agent? Now that was something that happened everyday in O'ahu, Hawaii.

* * *

Steve stormed into the Governor's office the next day, furious and angry.

"You didn't think to tell me she was ex-Fed?"

The Governor rose up in his seat steadily and stared Steve in the eye.

"Ms. Thorne's past is of no concern to you. I suggest you leave now and meet up with Ms. Thorne at your headquarters to discuss your aliases."

"How come she's ex-Fed, huh? Gimme a reason and I'll leave."

The Governor rubbed his temples wearily and looked down at his paperwork. "I'm sorry I'm not able to give you an answer, Mr. McGarrett. I believe you'll just have to ask Ms. Thorne yourself."

* * *

Noelle was seated in Steve's office awaiting the arrival of her Director, William Stance. Director Stance was curious about the operation.

He had called Governor Denning demanding answers why his ex-agent had been called to enter in a special operation. Governor Denning had no answer to Stance's question, only, 'Her talents, skills, and expertise will help us close this case.'

Director William Stance had scoffed at the notion of Noelle and a successful case. There was no explanation needed as Governor Denning viewed Noelle's file.

Noelle's thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps walking down the hallway and the door opening. Composing herself, she turned her head around preparing to explain to Director Stance. Instead, she was greeting with the furious eyes of Steve McGarrett.

"You're ex-Fed. Why?"

"None of your business," Noelle retorted weakly. She realized how lame she sounded, but she couldn't think of a better response at the time being. She could only hope Director Stance would come in the door and "save her sorry ass" from Steve's crazy Navy SEAL wrath.

"None of my business? It's my business, all right! I'm being placed with _you _on an operation and I don't wanna have some extra baggage hanging loose so some crazy group of rogue Yakuza can snatch up and use against you and me! So tell me. _Why are you ex-Fed_?"

Noelle closed her eyes and winced at the volume Steve was yelling at. She couldn't answer him, partially because of shame and because of what happened during her time as a Federal Agent. She had to think up of a lie, a good one at that because Steve seemed to be a living, breathing, and walking lie detector.

"I...I resigned due to the pressures of work," she started out slowly. "I was assigned a high-class operation and it...it was a success. However, there were so many death threats I couldn't handle the pressure anymore. I resigned and I'm now living under the radar of my enemies. Enemies who are _not _the Yakuza, and who definitely _don't _have _ties _to the Yakuza. That's all I'm telling you."

Steve stared at Noelle. She felt like her soul was floating up into the air and Steve was only one more incident away from slashing it open and revealing the truth. She couldn't bear to look as he shifted his gaze from her "soul" to her eyes.

"I believe you," he said, eyes softening as he looked down on her. Noelle's eyes were wide open. His response was so unexpected.

"You...do?"

"I do. I understand the pressures of being a government worker, so I won't question you anymore as long as you don't tell me anymore lies...and you don't get my ass fried in my process," Steve said jokingly. Noelle let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Wow, um... okay. So what do we do next?"

"Get our aliases. What else?" he smirked. Noelle blushed furiously, feeling like the stupid one in this situation. She jumped up from her seat, her heels clicking on the floor. She walked up to Steve and put her hand on his chest.

"You ready, hubby?"

"I'm ready... wifey," Steve fired back.


	4. Joshua and Alexa Kent

**Disclaimer: **I don't own H50.

The company names and names of people below are _mad__e up_, _not real_.

Yes, yes, I know you guys are probably _hating _Noelle right now, but putting these points straight:

1) Noelle isn't comfortable with any more "super cool ninja spy missions" (I'm eating Nutella, sue me!). Due to her history with the FBI (this will be revealed later on! :D) and the _incident_, there's... an issue... I'm not giving you guys spoilers.

2) She's not being forced to do this undercover op, but the Governor thinks she's the best choice due to her FBI history, and... TADA! SPOILERS! :D Don't you hate me right now? Hehe...

3) She doesn't want to do this mission. She's also resenting the fact that she was the "best choice" out of all _WORKING _FBI agents that weren't... fired, blah blah. Basically, in Chapter **3**, we learned she's ex-Fed and this really isn't an important spoiler, but she got kicked out. The Governor could've asked any FBI _Special _Agent to join Steve in this op but he didn't. He asked an FBI _Ex-Special _Agent. Why? You'll find out soon.

You might think my thoughts for this story are unorganized/really messy and this is gonna end up like some random fic with random plots, etc., but nooo... This un...organization has a point. Things will be revealed in time.

Thanks for a third review from **ArcherMoon**!

Enough about me. This update was loong overdue, and my apology gift is ANOTHER chapter for you! :D

R&R!

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**Joshua and Alexa Kent  
**

"Steve, you're going to be Joshua Kent, a rich businessman born in Miami, Florida with high connections from BCG, XXS, Zyrax Global, and Nimiety Corporate. Joshua was born to wealthy philanthropists Ronald Kent and Marchesa Diane Kent. Ronald and Marchesa were born to high-class parents. Ronald received a master's degree in business adminstration before founding Hansen International. Marchesa Diane Kent received a master's degree in science, but stayed at home as a housewife," Kono said, pulling up Steve's alias from the tablet to the screen. She tapped on her tablet and pulled up Noelle's alias.

"Noelle, you're -"

"Alexa Kent, born in Los Angeles, California. Yes, I know," Noelle said with a bored monotone. She checked her nails in boredom, not bothering to meet the glaring eyes of Steve.

"Noelle..." he said slowly.

Noelle slowly moved her head upwards and gave him a cocky grin. "What?"

Steve shook his head, and motioned to Kono to continue her report. The native Hawaiian woman gave a cold stare at Noelle before returning to brief the team on their mission.

"Alexa Kent, rich, greedy, manipulative, _bitchy_ philanthropist** [1]**. She runs multiple charities, like the HFCC - or Hope for Children Charity. Alexa Kent was born to parents with a low education background. Her father, Martin Wells, received a high school education before dropping out. He went on to become the wealthy owner of the now prosperous tree trimming company, Trim It!. Her mother, Felicia Barbados-Wells, received a high school diploma before dropping all college prospects to help support her family. She started out working in the local Wal-Mart before moving onto becoming the secretary to famous actor Charlie Davidson," Kono looked up from her tablet and motioned to Chin. Chin tapped the Smart Table, and various images and documents popped up onto the screens.

"Joshua and Alexa met and married in Albany, New York, and just moved to O'ahu. You guys are currently staying in the Premier Suite in the Hilton. Make sure you study these documents in case Goro has his 'henchmen' interrogate you."

Kono stared at Chin before bursting out in raucous laughter.

"What?"

"You've been watching too many corny mystery movies, haven't you?"

"Hey, at least I didn't say 'goonies'," Chin said, staring at Danny intently. Danny held his hands up and shrugged comically.

"I never said anything about 'goonies'. Why are you blaming me?"

"Ahh, nevermind."

Steve rapped the Smart Table impatiently, causing everyone - minus Noelle - to stare at him.

"When are we going to be able to start this op?"

Silence.

Apparently no one had answers. Steve turned to Noelle and tapped her shoulder carefully, hoping she wouldn't snap at him. Her attitude fit in the Governor's office led him to be somewhat cautious towards the brunette.

"Don't tap my shoulder," she said coldly. "We can start once we sign in** [2]** with the Governor."

* * *

_At the Governor's office..._

"So... you two got your alibis, and secured your suite at the Hilton?"

Steve and Noelle nodded.

"You're good to go, then. I don't expect weekly reports from you two, but I do expect updates on your op. Goro Yamamoto is someone not to be taken lightly."

"We understand, Governor," Steve started, choosing his words carefully. "We'll try to send reports to you on Fridays at 5 PM."

The Governor nodded his approval, and looked at Noelle. "Do you have anything to say?"

"No, sir. I just hope this op doesn't... fail," the woman said with a sad smile. Her reaction was... odd. Her eyes were glazed, as if seeing a past memory. Her jaw clenched, as if she didn't want to see or speak about what she was seeing...or thinking. As the pair left the Governor's office, Steve ran in front of her, blocking her path.

"What?" she said, frowning.

"In the Governor's office, you looked...distant. Why?"

Noelle sighed, and turned her head away from Steve. "It's none of your business."

Steve laughed wryly, "I'm not so sure about that. We're in an op together. If you know something, you have to tell me about it. I can't be left hanging here in the dark, only knowing at the last moment."

Noelle pushed Steve away, and walked towards the door. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory trying to return into her mind. _Why? _she thought. She had shut away that memory for so long, and now... it just had to reappear again. No matter how hard she tried to block the memory, bits and pieces forced its way into her mind.

_T__wo gunshots, someone crying out in pain, a dull thud, items crashing, objects falling..._

The memory changed dramatically.

An_ explosion. Fire, fire everywhere. Burning and consuming everything in its path with delight. Flickering flames. . . death, misery, horror... _

The memory changed once again.

A_ charred building... the smell of burnt wood. Ashes on the floor. Blood, blood everywhere. Screams and cries of angst and despair. Lifeless bodies littered on the floor. Camouflaged blood stains. An open palm, a charred object. A heavy heart. Two words: "You failed."_

_You failed, you failed, you failed, you failed..._

_YOU FAILED!_

Noelle stood in the center of the room gasping for breath, unaware that Steve was right next to her. He rubbed her back, and knelt down with her kneeling form.

"Are you OK?"

Noelle, eyes widened with panic, stared at Steve with horror. She shook her head negatively, and threw herself towards him. She buried her head in his shoulders and cried like the little girl she had buried so long. She didn't let herself grieve, but this time she didn't and someone was there to comfort her.

* * *

**[1]** Victoria Grayson from _Revenge _(ABC). That's Alexa Kent.

**[2] **This is the Governor wanting to be involved in this op since it involves the Yakuza. He also wants _some things _- not _all things _- to be based _by__ the book _(Remember how Lori [ew] was sent to make sure Five-0 stayed _by the book_? This is slightly it, but waaay different. He just needs updates and op members to sign in to "record" all this. Everything else is Steve/Five-0's way... _get it_? *cheesy grin*).

I cannot stress this enough. o_o

**R&R!**


	5. Trust

Thanks, **ArcherMoon**, for a fourth review.

C'mon guys... **R&R**! Only four reviews for... FIVE chapters?! o_o This doesn't suck, does it?

Hopefully this chapter will answer some questions. I know its short, but I felt that this was a perfect way to end this chapter. Going any longer would possibly ruin it. Hopefully Chapter 6 will satisfy your long Chapter wanting.

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**Trust**

Noelle, shaking from all her crying, jerked away from Steve. She stumbled backwards, managing to land on her butt in the process. Steve slowly got up, brushing the dust from his pants. He extended an open hand towards the brunette.

Noelle sniffled and turned her head away. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out another round of tears. Steve let out a sigh of frustration and grabbed her from under her arms. He lifted her upwards, and hoisted her onto his back. Noelle opened her eyes out in shock and pounded her fists furiously at Steve's back.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?!"

"Well, if you won't give me answers then I guess I'll have to find them one way or another," he responded curtly. He carried her piggy back style towards his pick-up truck. He stumbled, trying to open the passenger door to his car.

"Ow," Noelle muttered, rubbing her head. "You sure are graceful."

Steve snorted, and carefully let go of her legs. Ironically, Noelle dropped ungracefully down to the ground, stumbling on her feet.

"_Shit_," she cursed. Steve turned around, and stared at her quizzically.

Noelle let out a sigh, rolled her eyes, and got into the passenger seat of Steve's truck. She closed the door, and stared through the window. "Are you coming in or not?"

Steve didn't respond. He just stared at her.

Noelle let out another sigh, and prepared to open the door. "OK, here's how it'll go," she said, waving her hand with a flourish. "Either you get in the car and drive, _or_ I come out there and mug you, steal your keys, and drive off laughing sadistically while running over your soon-to-be mutilated body. Those are your two options."

Steve backed up slowly before running towards the driver's seat. Once he got in, Noelle laughed and smirked at him evilly. "Thought so."

Steve rolled his eyes and started the truck. "So," he began lamely, "why were you crying?"

Noelle's smile turned into a frown. She stared at Steve and glowered. "None of your business," she spat.

"Noelle, do I _really _have to go through this again?" he took one hand off the steering wheel and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Yes," she snapped. "You have to, because I'm not going to tell you!" She slammed her head to the headrest of the car seat and let out a growl of despair.

Luckily, there was nobody driving behind Steve, so he braked the truck and stared at her in bewilderment.

"Look, whatever it is...I'll help you with it. You just have to trust me," he whispered. He reached one hand towards the brunette and stroked a tear-stained cheek tenderly. Noelle gasped at the contact, but stayed still. She felt...calm and loved. Her tears rolled freely now, and she let out a strangled sob.

Seeing it was unsafe just to let the engine idling, Steve pulled the car over and stopped the engine.

"I...I was in an op, similar to this one," Noelle started slowly, gasping for breath. She gripped the the seat belt tightly, and opened her eyes to stare at Steve. She bit her lip, and chose her words carefully. "It was... dangerous. _Very_ dangerous. The abandoned building we were in exploded. My partner died...he suffered from two gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma. He had the _only_ piece of evidence that could put our suspect away, and it was _burned_. The fire burned _everything_. I survived by breaking and jumping out a window."

Steve gave a half-smile to Noelle, and patted her hand. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I needed to tell someone... and I trust you," Noelle said, her voice breaking. "I needed to tell someone, and you're the only person I trust. I can't live with this burden anymore. Now that I'm in this op, this memory...it keeps on replaying in my mind!" Noelle let go of the seat belt and tightly covered her ears, shaking her head back and forth trying to get rid of the memory.

_You failed, you failed, you failed._

No matter how hard she would try to let this memory go, she couldn't do it.

_You failed, you failed, you failed._

Noelle's hands dropped limply and landed with a dull thud on her thighs. Her leaned her head backwards, resting it on the head rest and took a deep breath. Sighing, she stared at the road ahead. "Take me home. Any place but here. Somewhere far away," she said brokenly, her voice cracking.

Steve started the engine, and pulled his truck back onto the road and drove to his home. He stole a brief glance at Noelle. Just one look at her made him rethink his failures and successes. Noelle was a broken shell. A soul still living in a dead body. Her world was rotating around her one failure. The one failure Steve realized had cost her the one thing that was important to her. Her job. Now she was in O'ahu, doing who knew what, and coming home everyday reminding herself she was a failure. A good-for-nothing, a worthless piece of trash. He could see it in her eyes. The pain and suffering she had endured. He didn't know how long she could handle that sort of stress, and he was worried. Not for the op, but for her.

He worried for _her_.

_You failed, you failed, you failed._

* * *

**R&R! **:D


	6. Operation IU

Two reviews so far. XP Oh, well.

**ArcherMoon - **I will take your advice into consideration, but Noelle's just opening up now. She's been a tight, bitchy person in the first two/three chapters and now she's putting all her trust into Steve. She's opening up and is just starting to realize it's OK to trust. Her previous conversations were awkward because of her being uptight. Now that she's trusting Steve she's relaxing and "loosening the reins" on her life. She's opening up and letting go of the bitchy attitude she held onto to protect herself from harm.

**francis2 - **Yes, they do. Your review made me want to go a little more in depth about Noelle. This 'in depth' part will take at least two or three chapters, but it should explain Noelle's mental situation and why she's like this. This part is probably the "before-it-all-happened" part of the _issue_.

Got any misspellings (ex: perfitly instead of perfectly), well, they were intentional. Deal with it. Mwhaha.

* * *

**Operation IU  
**

Noelle was sitting drinking water from Steve's mug, sitting on Steve's couch in Steve's living room in Steve's house. Noelle choked on the water she was drinking and patted her chest to calm her coughing fit down. Steve walked over and sat on the recliner. She had already been introduced to her sleeping quarters, the guest room. Steve had driven over to her place and brought some of her stuff to his house.

He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Noelle set down the mug and and cleared her throat nervously.

"Yeah?" he said, not bothering to turn his head and look at Noelle. This made the woman feel even more awkward in this situation. She was already in Steve's house, and she knew she wasn't wanted here.

"Erm, why are you taking my... _issue_ in such stride?"

Steve turned off the TV and set the remote down. He got up and walked towards the kitchen. "I've seen and been through a lot as a Navy SEAL."

"Oh," came the dry response. Noelle looked down and twiddled with her fingers.

Steve came back with a pizza and sat back down on the recliner. "Hey," he smirked, "are you hungry? Maybe we can talk about this over pizza."

"Haha," she laughed sardonically. She pinched her nose with one hand and waved the air away from her face with the other. "That pizza seriously smells."

Steve smiled in humor and took a bite out of his "smelly pizza."

"I mean, seriously," Noelle play-whined. "How old is that pizza? A year old?"

Steve smirked and wiped tomato sauce on her nose. She let out a light yelp of surprise and huddled towards the farther end of the couch. Steve slathered his palm with tomato sauce and leaned forward to wipe it on Noelle's face.

"No. Don't," she laughed. "Don't you dare."

Steve laughed along with her and pounced. He slathered her face with tomato sauce getting it everywhere from her cheeks, nose, forehead, and hair.

After the damage was done, Noelle huffed at glared at Steve. "I hate you."

"Oh, trust me. The feeling's mutual," he joked.

"Oh, haha, you are just _so_ funny. Laugh away. I'll get you back," she jokingly threatened. She extended an index finger towards Steve and retreated towards the bathroom.

* * *

Noelle had finished showering and dried her hair, careful to check for any remnants of the tomato sauce. Making sure for the hundredth time there was nothing remaining, she let out a sigh and threw her body backwards. She landed on the mattress roughly. She rubbed her temples and sighed once more.

Her thoughts were running amuck. Noelle pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. Maybe if she had some shuteye everything would be calm.

Yes. Calm was what she needed.

Closing her eyes, Noelle allowed herself to enter into dreamland.

_..._

_Noelle and her partner, Timothy Dorn were sitting in the black Cadillac staring out the darkly tinted windows. The Cadillac was the car Noelle and Timothy were using for their op. Timothy was taking pictures while occasionally checking the report streams through the federal laptop. Noelle was looking for their suspect through binoculars.  
_

_"Guess what Hunter sent us," Timothy smirked._

_"What?" Noelle said. She rolled her eyes, lips quirking upwards despite her mental protests._

_"'Anything going on with Operation Sit-in-a-Car-and-Wait-for-an-Old-Hag-to-Appear?'"_

_Noelle turned her head and lowered her binoculars. She stared at Timothy and the laptop screen for a split second before deadpanning. "Wow," she said. "Wow. That's all Hunter's got? I thought he was much more humorous than _that_ piece of shit you just said."_

_Noelle quickly muttered something about the operation name being 'Operation IU' while brushing invisible dust off of her outfit._

_Timothy laughed before getting back to work. Noelle pulled the binoculars back to her face and stared out the window. A flicker of movement caught her eye._

_"I've got something," Noelle whispered. Timothy produced a similar pair of binoculars and leaned over Noelle's shoulder.  
_

_"Oh my god," he whispered slowly. "That's him. That's Caruso and..."_

___"Hidalgo," Noelle breathed. Her eyes widened and she grasped the door handle. "I can't believe it. That bastard actually has the nerve to bring it here."_

_"Let's go see what that bastard wants," Timothy growled. He leaned back to his seat and prepared to open the car door. Noelle pulled his towards her and glared at him. She pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was vibrating, alerting the two that they had received a call. Timothy and Noelle took a glance at the caller ID. It was a restricted number.  
_

_"Probably Caruso," Noelle muttered. Noelle flipped the phone open and turned on the speakerphone option.  
_

_Noelle mentally prepared herself to become her alias.__ Noelle was Eun-Kyung Seol, more commonly known to English-speaking people as Aiyu_ _ Seol, was a woman born to South Korean parents. Timothy was Richard Jarvis, patriotic American to the heart. He had first met Eun-Kyung during a business trip to South Korea. Richard, admiring Eun-Kyung from afar, wanted to be able to talk to her but missed his chance. When Eun-Kyung went to America to study overseas and took up her English name as Aiyu, she encountered Richard in the most unlikeliest places. The outside of a restroom. They had clicked from there and quickly got married, or so the back story of their aliases said. _

_She quickly cleared her throat and gave her alias's South Korean accent and the happy tone for the greeting. Noelle winced at how overly happy and... Asian_ **[2]**_ she sounded. "'Ello?"_

_"Ah, hello darling. How are you and Richard doing?" said Caruso. Caruso's smooth Cuban accent was oddly raspy and distorted through the phone. Static started ringing in random intervals making it difficult for Noelle and Timothy to hear Caruso._

_"Richard and I are doing perfitly fine. How 'ir 'ou?"_

_"Aiyu," Caruso breathed. He prounced Aiyu as 'A-U', something Noelle's alias adamantly hated._

_"I-U, not A-U," 'Aiyu Seol' snarled. Noelle bit her lip in exasperation.  
_

_"Sorry, darling. I'm not used to such a...lovely name," Caruso hurriedly apologized. "I just wanted to say...if you want Hidalgo, meet me at the abandoned warehouse on 56 Magnolia Lane." There was a pregnant pause. "Of course, you probably won't _need_ the address. I saw your car." Caruso's tone was accusing and harsh._

_Taking a deep breath, Noelle squeezed her eyes and hoped that her voice would be able to continue this happily pitched Korean accent. "We 'ir sorry fir upsitting 'ou, Mis'ir Ca'uso," Noelle apologized. "We will be in there im'idit'ly." Noelle strained her accent and pronounced "there" as "dere". She winced visibly and held the phone away from her. She stared at Timothy in despair.  
_

_'Talk to him,' she mouthed. 'I can't handle this accent anymore.'_

_Timothy smirked and cleared his throat._

_"When do we come in, Caruso?"_

_"Ahh, well isn't it Mr. Richard Jarvis. Nice hearing your voice. I wouldn't mind hearing _Aiyu_'s voice, of course. That Asian - no,_ Korean _-__ accent of hers...just adorable!"_

_"Caruso..." Timothy growled._

_"Come in now," Caruso chuckled in amusement. "Seeing you two are so impatient why not give you two a chance to win Hidalgo?" Somewhere in the background, Noelle and her partner heard Caruso shout something at one of his men. 'Let's give them a show they'll never forget!' Noelle heard. She eyed Timothy warily and cleared her throat nervously._

_"Mis'ir Ca'uso, we will be there in five."_

_"All right then. I can_not_ wait to see you two." At this, the line disconnected._

* * *

**[1] **Anyone heard of the Korean KPOP singer I-U (or IU, whatever...)? That is the inspiration for the name Aiyu. Pronunciation is also pretty easy to. I-U, Aiyu. Hehe...

**[2] **This is to clear any misconceptions you may have had when you read _'Noelle winced at how overly happy and... Asian she sounded', _let's just say this: Noelle is not racist. She has Asiatic blood in her (so do I!) so technically her being racist is insulting herself (*coughs awkwardly* and mee...). Yeah. Whatever. I hope that clears it.

I know the operation name "Hunter" sent was completely lame but it's like... 2:22 AM my time so my brain is having like... brain toots. Ew. Nevermind. I'm just brain dead.

**R&R**!


End file.
